Ever since the Scrubs sitcom made its way to Comedy Central, I’ve taken a renewed interest in the new episodes on NBC. Last week, I finally caved to the relentless after-show marketing of the Scrubs Podcast. I downloaded it to my iPod and went for a run over the weekend.

Now, to NBC’s credit, they clearly point out the best way to enjoy the Scrubs Podcast:

Two ways to listen! Download the entire commentary as a podcast. Pause during commercial breaks and play when the episode resumes.

Or, listen while you watch. Click "Part 1" when the episode begins. When the show goes to the first commercial break, that ends Part 1. Click "Part 2" when the show resumes, etc. You can also click "Listen Now" to listen to the full stream uninterrupted.

Check back soon for commentaries from other cast members' favorite episodes!

So essentially, this is Mystery Science Theater 3000 for Scrubs. You get to watch it; and instead of coming up with smart-ass remarks yourself, you get to hear them from one of the writers and stars of the show.

This is a completely missed opportunity for a couple of reasons:

1. IMO, podcasts are best absorbed while on the go (which essentially makes it an out-of-home media). And this creates a formatting problem.

2. The podcast doesn’t add value if you’re not watching the show.

So what’s missing?

1. Why not make it a video podcast? Show it after the program has aired and include the commentary? They could include advertisements in it as well if they wanted. That way, the viewer get’s the full picture.
2. Interviews with the stars (and guest stars) of the show. It could be show or episode-related, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. They could discuss other projects or maybe funny stories about what happened while filming the episode.
3. Why not do a live call-in show to make the experience more interactive? Producers could gain more information about what the audience wants to see in a more real-time format.

Kudos to NBC for recognizing that the target market is willing to dive deeper into the show and answering with a podcast. However, IMO, it’s a sloppy execution to the needs of fans who want to go interactive.